1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Venetian blinds and more particularly to ladder and lift cord arrangements for Venetian blinds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Venetian blinds conventionally embody a headrail, a bottom rail, and a plurality of transverse, spaced apart, parallel slats extending parallel to the headrail and bottom rail and supported on the transverse cords or cross rungs of a latter or string tape secured to the headrail and bottom rail. The cross rungs extend between and are secured to the riser cords of the ladder. Lift cords conventionally extend through slots in each of the slats and are secured to the bottom rail for raising and lowering the bottom rail and thereby the slats to raise or expand the blind respectively. As alternatives, U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,301 discloses a Venetian blind in which the lift cord extends through relief notches along one edge of the blind slats between the slats and an adjoining ladder tape. U.K. Pat. No. 1,000,626 discloses a Venetian blind in which the lift or pull cord extends through loops in one riser cord of the ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,709 discloses a blind having lift cords displaced on the front and back of the slats, the front lift cords being intertwined through the ladder tape, while the back lift cords pass through and are trapped in place by loops extending from the ladder tape. The '709 patent also discloses notches on both the front and back of the slats to prevent the slats from sliding to either side.